Friday Fragment – MAGIC ON THE HUNT

I have heard it is already in some stores, but I have no idea which stores at this point.

Even though the book isn’t *supposed* to be on the shelves until the 5th, the books themselves have (hopefully) arrived in the stores before the 5th. Unless it has a hard release date boldly noted on the outside of the box, sometimes the store staff will put the book out early.

What difference does it make? Well, if an author or publisher is expecting a book to hit the “lists” (New York Bestseller, etc.) books bought before the actual release date don’t count, so those sales don’t help push the numbers up to bestsellerdom. Also, since the electronic copy is set to release on the actual release day, people who are waiting for the ebook may stumble upon the hard copy early but still not be able to download the ebook until release day.

What difference does it make to *me*? I don’t know. On the one hand, I’d love to have a book actually hit that bestseller list some day. On the other, I totally understand why staff puts out new stock when they get it. I guess mostly I am just happy readers are out there looking for it!

So…what the heck! I am officially giving away three copies of MAGIC ON THE HUNT! Leave a comment here (blog, facebook, livejournal, whathaveyou) and I will draw three names on Sunday the 3rd, and mail the books out Monday.

This is not the only giveaway I have planned. Remember that gargoyle I knitted? I’ll hold a contest for him on Tuesday, April 5th. More on that soon.

But for now….it’s time for Friday Fragment! Over the last several weeks, I’ve been posting an excerpt or scene from the Allie Beckstrom novels. Today’s excerpt comes from MAGIC ON THE HUNT.

Spoilers ahoy! If you don’t want some of the story revealed before you get the book in your hands, then click away now. Thank you for coming by!

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Zayvion cast a very delicate spell, spoke a word, and then hooked his pinky as if catching a part of the spell. He continued to whisper that word, then walked to the next window and cast another spell, saying another similar word, hooking his pinky, and then walking to the next window.

Shame walked behind him. I took a step to follow, but Shame held his hand up, telling me to stay. It took only a minute or two for Zay to complete the counterclockwise circumnavigation of the building. Then he was beside me and said one final word, spreading his hands wide.

A doorway opened in front of him where the stained-glass windows had just been. Zay and Shame stepped through, and so did I.

The room should not exist. For one thing, I’d just been on the bottom floor and looked up at all the empty space above and hadn’t sensed any magical Illusions. But whatever spell Zay had used revealed this separate, hidden room. The walls were still marble, but there were no stained-glass windows, even though I knew very well the windows were there.

Or maybe the windows were the Illusion and this was the reality of the structure. But it wasn’t just the walls that caught my attention. The floor was made of dark glass, and glyphs in gold and green glowed beneath the glass. Zay and Shame both cast separate spells, and the glyphs bent to the motion of their hands like a wheat field rolls beneath the wind.

Vertigo hit me, and it felt like everything rotated a degree to the left. And then the room was not just a room anymore.

I hadn’t moved. Hadn’t taken a single step. But the room was now twice as wide and twice as tall. There were several heavy lead and glass doors that radiated magic along the wall. Illusions within Illusions. No wonder no one could break out of this place.

Shame walked to the door on the west side and stopped in front of it.

“I could break it, but I’ll make a mess of it,” he said.

Zay looked at it. “Who worked it when you came before?”

“Victor. It’s old stuff. Archaic.”

“You didn’t want to tell us you didn’t have the spell to get through the door?” I asked.

Shame bit down on a grin. “I just told you I can do it. It’s just that it will be noticeable.”

The book out so soon? Oh, I can’t wait! Thanks for working so hard. Your snippets keep getting me anticipated each time. Grrrrrrrr. Cantwaitcantwaitcantwait! 😀
P.S;; gonna tweet about the adorable knitted Stone:)

1.What an incredible descriptive sequence: a magical spell opening a magical illusion/separate & alternate reality. Ah, & what a chg of dimensional-integrity or would that be: a chg.of dimentional non-integrity?->of that room as the next step! Smiles**. Fascinating & intriguing! IMAGINATIVE ! 2.Interesting abt.the time that books arrive versus their being set out for sales, & how that varies frm.store 2 store. I like your attitude about it, best, though. What will be, will be. Life is life.

Omg can’t wait until new book comes out! Unfortunately the stores in my neck of the woods don’t have it out yet (yes, I’ll shamelessly admit that I would have bought it early if they did. What? It’s like dangling a big cookie in front of a fat kid and telling her not to eat it. My restraint is simply not that good. I am human after all. lol) Anywho, loved the snippet but it makes me want more, more, more! =) Thanks for the chance to win your new book. Total awesomeness!

I love your books so you can add me to the contest. I just need to stop reading the very end of books after the story is ended cause there’s usually the 1st chapter of the next book and I end up reading it way too early.

I cannot wait for this book to come out. I just started this series in January and have not been able to put it down. I have passed on my books to others so that they too could enjoy them as much as me.

I can’t wait to download this on my Kindle!
And while Allie’s dad keeps saving her, I know he has his own agenda, and I hope he pays. I have no idea if you are going to redeem him as a person but in every book my opinion of him gets worse.
Really looking forward to this.
Thanks for the yummy snippet.

Ooh. Enter me in the contest.
Magic on the Hunt is top of my Must Buy on Tuesday list. I’ve even planned my reading up to Tuesday around it, so that I can read it as soon as it’s in my hands. Yay. (I’ve thoroughly enjoyed all the snippets!)

Oooh, fun! I have to admit, I hadn’t heard of your series until today when I stumbled upon it via the link to your giveaway Ilona Andrews posted on FB. I now have Magic to the Bone requested from my library and am looking forward to diving in!

I would love a copy of Magic on the Hunt! That said–should I win one–it’ll be torture to keep from peeking until I’ve read the rest of the series 🙂

Is it wrong that I spent a great deal of the weekend reading the last two books over again? I drove through St Johns and downtown Portland yesterday, thinking about how different they must look in your stories.
No gargoyles were spotted.

I love this series, I came across it by accident when trying to find another series by a different author. Sure was glad I found all the books at once that were out because I couldn’t put them down. Can’t wait for the next book to come out tomorrow.

Why do publishers NOT want the authors to give snippets, when they’re like crack cocaine for the fans – it makes it IMPOSSIBLE for me to NOT buy the books when they come out. Great series – can’t wait to read book six.